Sunlight
by Rosekeet
Summary: Ron is dating Padma but Hermione is in love with him. She wonders if she and Ron will ever have a chance together. Will a conversation down by the lake change anything? A one-shot romance. ... the sunlight poured through...


_Sunlight_  
A Light Cycle Fic   
By, Rosekeet  
Rated: PG for sensuality and drama  
Dedicated to: n/a  
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related characters and titles belong to J.K. Rowling. I assume no credit for them.   
A/N: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh… mush. Don't you just love it? I know I sure do. I should read more romance novels. I really enjoyed _Wild West Wife_ and _The Turquoise Sun_. If you're into romance and feel the urge to read something OTHER than Harry Potter (gasp, shock, horror) I'd highly recommend them. WWW has a couple of erm- let's just say "risqué" chapters so if you aren't into that I wouldn't read it. TTS has better writing than WWW but still the same mushy interiors. Romance novels are like rotten onions. They have layers that peel away to a mushy center. HAHA. That's pretty clever, nu? ANYWAY, check out my other H.P. fics for more shameless R/H fluff (especially the Light Cycle and She) and for some a bit of drama and humor too. Read, Enjoy and Review!   
About the Light Cycle: The light cycle is a series of one-shot Ron/Hermione fluffy waffy, all around feel good mushiness. They can be read in any order and aren't really connected other than by the fact that they're all R/H fluff. But keep in mind, its pure sap people. Nothing more. Just sappy, mushy, gushy, romance. So if you aren't into that kind of stuff, just back away slowly. BACK AWAY FROM THE FIC! Oh, and even if you do like it, keep a paper bag handy. You don't realize the scale of the fluff yet. Well, actually this one isn't too bad, but anyway. Just be careful.   
  
  
Hermione Granger gazed silently out over the lake. It was a cloudy grey, mirroring the gloomy sky perfectly. She shivered in the cold March air and wrapped her cloak more tightly around her body. The bushy-haired 16 year old sat down on a dry patch of ground and leaned against the willow tree, sighing.   
  
She should have been studying, O.W.L.s were coming up, but she needed a break. Hermione loved Hogwarts, but it was almost impossible to find a place to be truly alone. She breathed in deeply, listening to the silence around her. It was cold, so most people were indoors. She felt oddly peaceful at the moment. Hermione liked being alone. Not that she would have been with anybody inside the castle anyway. Harry was in the hospital wing getting fixed up after a particularly nasty row with Malfoy. And Ron was- well Hermione didn't _know_ where he was, but wherever he was it was with Padma.   
  
Hermione felt an odd sort of pang at this thought. She sighed heavily and wrapped her arms around herself. She had heard that people only wanted what they couldn't have and now she supposed it was true. But, she had felt the same way about Ron before Padma. It just took their dating to make her realize it. She'd wrestled with the idea of tell him many times, but he always looked so happy with her. And she knew that her telling would make Ron feel bad that she was hurting and it would ruin his relationship with Padma and most likely their friendship.   
  
_Oh Ron, don't you see? I care about you so much and love you so much that I'm willing to let you be with and love someone else…_  
  
Well, Ron wasn't in LOVE with Padma; Hermione was pretty sure about that. Or at least he wasn't in love with her YET. It would happen eventually. Hermione had seen enough Muggle movies to know that.   
  
She frowned. Many times before she had thought that Ron had felt that way about _her_. Like when he'd saved her from the troll, tried to curse Malfoy with a broken wand in her defense, stood up (or tried to) on a broken leg to defend her and Harry, been upset when she'd gone to the Yule ball with Viktor, cared about her, worried about her, defended her… But then there were the other times when they fought and when he hadn't believed her about Viktor.   
  
Hermione suddenly felt very confused. Ron sent so many different vibes. Which one was she supposed to believe? "We're just friends" "I want to be more than friends" "You're like a sister to me" "I think you're annoying" "I love you"… She sighed, sending a cloud of white up in front of her face. Hermione wasn't a believer of fate and destiny but if she and Ron weren't meant to be together she supposed they would end up that way eventually. She just wanted to know NOW.   
  
Sighing again, she gazed mindlessly out over the lake, wishing she could stop the little pain in her heart. It wasn't that Ron was never around or that he had stopped being a good friend since he had started dating Padma. His, Hermione's and Harry's relationship hadn't changed much at all. They still ate together, worked together and hung out, thought not as much as before, it wasn't too bad.   
  
Hermione heaved another sigh. On the other side of the willow, she heard movement. It sounded as though someone had just sat down. She heard them groan. A very familiar groan.   
"Ron?" She said crawling around to the other side of the tree. The red headed boy was sitting with his head buried in his hands.   
"What's the matter?" She asked worriedly, sitting down beside him. Ron looked up. His eyes were becoming blood shot and his hair was looking messier than usual.   
"Padma and I- we- we just… broke up…" He said flatly, voice cracking near the end, betraying his true emotions.   
"Oh, Ron. I'm really sorry." She said, her heart doing a funny sort of upbeat. "What happened?"   
"We got in a fight…" Ron said trailing off and dropping his head to his hands again. Hermione was dying to ask what the fight was about but she didn't want to cause Ron more pain. She _was_ genuinely sorry, so she just sat quietly, waiting to see if he would speak.   
Ron squeezed his eyes shut and sighed slowly. He was glad Hermione hadn't asked what the fight was about. Normally he would have told her but in this case… he knew it would make her feel badly…  
  
_ "What's the matter, Padma? I'm not late am I?"   
"No… it's just that I never get to see you…"  
"What're you talking about? We see each other everyday."   
"We're hardly ever alone though. You're always with Harry or Hermione or both."   
"They're my friends."   
"Yeah, well, I'm your _ girlfriend_! You should spend more time with me then with Harry and your little 'gal pal'!   
"Padma- what are you talking about?"   
"Oh don't play dumb with me! I've seen the way you look at her! I hear what people say!" _  
  
What had she meant by all of that? That he had a 'thing' for Hermione? He liked her certainly, but she was just one of his best friends, right? He glanced sideways at her. She was gazing at him worriedly. Right…?   
He groaned. He didn't want to think about this now.   
"Hermione-" Ron said, suddenly looking up. "I miss her. Padma. I miss her already." Hermione felt that pang in her heart again, but she ignored it.   
"I know you do." She said quietly, looking at him.   
"I just can't figure out what happened. This fight was so- so, random. I- I don't get it…"   
"Maybe- maybe it was just a bad time of the month for her?" Hermione suggested. Ron smiled slightly.   
"Or something like that. But, everything was going fine. Why the hell should things have to change all of a sudden?" He asked looking almost desperately at Hermione for an answer. She didn't say anything at first.   
"Well- things just happen and they don't always make sense. There's nothing you can do. It's just- well- it's just life." She said finishing rather lamely.   
"Well, life can go shoves its head up it's-"  
"RON!"   
"Sorry, sorry… But, oh, I don't know. It's just so- unfair." He said helplessly. Hermione would have told him that life wasn't fair and that it never would be but she knew that Ron understood that better than anyone.   
"I know." She agreed. Ron seemed a bit surprised at her reaction. He watched her silently as she gazed out over the lake. He sighed and pulled his knees up to his chest. He crossed his arms over his knees and rested his head in them. A wind picked up creating tiny white crested waves on the lake. He shivered and wished he'd had enough foresight to bring a cloak.   
"Cold?" Hermione asked.   
"Yeah, a little bit." He shrugged. Hermione scooted closer to him and unclasped her own cloak. She took it off with a swirl and spread it over the top of the two of them, like a blanket. Ron felt her move even closer to him and tuck her knees up.   
_Padma would be so pissed…_ He thought silently to himself as he felt his ears get warm.   
"Think it'll rain?" Hermione asked, trying to sound nonchalant even though her heart was beating wildly.   
"Hope not. Padma loves the rain."   
"Oh, Ron…" She said smiling sadly at him and shaking her head.   
"What?" He asked.   
"Nothing." They fell silent again and both stared out over the lake.   
_Ron is single again. _Hermione thought. _ I mean, I feel bad he's so upset… but… NO! I should not be happy about this! _ She frowned miserably.   
_Oh well. I suppose me and Padma were never meant to be. I'm mean- it couldn't have lasted forever. _Ron thought glumly. _I just don't get girls. But, what she said about Hermione… NO! I. Will. Not. Think. About. It. _  
  
Hermione sighed again; acutely aware of how close she and Ron were sitting. There shoulders were touching and so were their hips. Her body was tense. She tried to relax but couldn't. She hoped Ron wouldn't notice. Glancing sideways at him she noticed that his face that had been pale when he's first sat down was now flushed.   
_Must be the wind._ She thought. Ron sighed suddenly and looked up. After a moment he spoke.   
"Hermione- the clouds are breaking up…" He said pointing at the sky. She gazed upwards.   
"You're right!" She exclaimed delightedly as the thick, grey masses shifted and a patch of pure blue sky shone through.   
"It hasn't been sunny since October!"   
"I know…" Ron said closing his eyes and letting the sunlight warm his face. Hermione followed suit letting her cloak slide down their knees. They sat like that silently for several minutes, enjoying the feeling of the warm light on their skin.   
_I bet this is what getting your first kiss feels like._ Hermione thought. _Just like sunlight hitting your skin. _  
Inside the school a bell rang. They opened their eyes.   
"Ready to go up?" She asked. Ron nodded and stood up, picking up her cloak. He extended his hand and helped Hermione up off the ground.   
"You'll be ok, won't you?" She asked taking the cloak. Ron gazed up at the sky.   
"You know what- I reckon I will be." He said looking at her.   
"Well- I'm there for you. If you need me."   
"You always have been."   
"Always will be."   
"I know." He said and smiled a smile that dulled the sunlight. Hermione smiled back and they headed back up towards the castle.   
_Maybe…_ She thought, _Ron and I have a chance after all._   
She smiled again and looked up at the sky where the clouds were breaking up and sunlight was pouring through.   
  
_**THE END**_  



End file.
